What is #TerriblePhotoFriday?
As most small business owners know, there are several stock photography agencies online where you can purchase images to use in your marketing materials, website, social media, and more. These sites are filled with thousands of images in every imaginable category from “itchy dogs” to “sunrise on a mountaintop.” While many of the images found within these sites are well executed and very good at illustrating the intended subject matter, there are also several absolutely ridiculous images that need to be called out for what they are: ill conceived.
Now, before I go around providing hilarity for my readers and potentially embarrassing some very talented photographers out there, let me make a disclaimer: I am a trained photographer with a degree in photography from a prestigious art school. No one understands how complex, exhausting, and sometimes nerve-wrecking a photo shoot can be better than I. I get it. You’re in the studio, shooting some model, you haven’t had lunch, your blood sugar drops, and soon you think, “Hey, what the world really needs is a photo of this model, half naked, smoking a pipe! But the smoke will be LIGHT! It’s so artistic!” Every artist goes through these little moments of delirium. The seasoned artist will learn to “kill their darlings” so to speak and never let the world see the craziness that lives inside your head.
That being said, some artists have not learned this lesson yet and for that reason, our Friday’s will now be a little brighter. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of our weekly social media segment #TerriblePhotoFriday. Here’s how it works:
1. Friday mornings, I will post a ridiculous specimen of stock photography on the Illuminous Marketing Facebook & Pinterest pages.
2. You guys then get to make up a caption for these photos by commenting or re-pinning the image. (Make sure to keep the #TerriblePhotoFriday tag so that we can see your hilarious responses)
3. The comment with the most number of likes will be the winner for the week
How will this help me with my small business marketing, you say? First of all, it will hopefully give you smile. Smiling reduces stress and less stress equals more productivity & creativity. More importantly though, it should give you a better idea of what to look for when you are selecting stock imagery to support your marketing materials. The right image can and should inspire your target market and help nudge them towards making that conversion, whether it is a purchase, a download, or a phone call. The wrong image could land you a starring role on #TerriblePhotoFriday. Choose wisely my friends.
Have your own terrible stock images that you want to share with us? That’s great! Simply pin them with the hashtag #TerriblePhotoFriday or post them to the Illuminous Marketing Facebook page with the same hashtag.
If you’re thinking, “What the heck is a hashtag and why should I use it?” Tune into the blog tomorrow for a lesson on what a hashtag is and how to use them properly.
